Skeletal muscle has an intrinsic monitoring system of sensory receptors in muscle, tendon and joints that form a sensory motor feedback loop system with the central nervous system to control muscle function. Sensory input monitors length, tension, and position to help control the speed, duration and intensity of motor effort through positive and negative feed back loops. It is known in the art of exercise and sport that voluntary muscle contractions and controlled body movements improve upon repetition of a specified motion. Skeletal muscle adapts rapidly to alterations in its loading status. Voluntary muscle contractions can be enhanced by applying resistance to specific muscle groups to load controlled contractions of the targeted skeletal muscles. Resistance training improves muscle strength and tone, coordination, and response time.
It is difficult to load specific muscles used in the martial arts, such as those for punches, blocks, and kicks, because the movements are rapid, used in combination, and are difficult to isolate in weight training. It is desirable to increase the load on these muscles with resistance. It is known in the art to use elastic bands, worn in specific arrangement, to provide resistance to targeted muscle groups. The prior art does not disclose an arrangement effective for martial arts exercises.
The prior art chronicles inventions applying this resistance principle in exercise devices. U.S. Pat. No. 650,656 discloses a harness of shoulder straps and a waist strap. U.S. Pat. No. 843,478 discloses a waist belt with elastic cords running on the right and left sides, between the right and left hands and feet, respectively. Recently issued patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,186,701 and 5,720,042 issued to Wilkinson which describe an aerobic exercise garment. The garment is a body suit with anchors at various locations for attaching elastic cords which provide resistance when stretched by the hand or foot. The body suit covers the entire body and is cumbersome because it constrains body movement. The suit does not have anchors and components to enable a user to target muscles specific to martial arts. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,565 Burdenko discloses a buoyant waist belt with rings at various locations for attaching elastic cords. The device is more simple and less cumbersome than Wilkenson's, but it, too, lacks anchors and components to enable a user to target muscles specific to martial arts. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,827 Gutkowski discloses another exercise belt with cords running to the hands and ankles. The device does not contemplate anchors and components to enable a user to target muscles specific to martial arts.
Other prior art discloses resistance devices for specific parts of the body. U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,754 issued to Maclean describes a leg harness exercise apparatus in which a single elastic cord forms a loop starting at the ankle, running to the knee, waist, and returning to the ankle. The configuration of the device does not encourage proper alignment for kicks, as the cord is positioned on the outside of the leg only. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,688 Davies discloses an exercise waist belt for exercising the arms and upper body. The device has a stretchy band with handgrips that slides through a guide attached at the front of the belt, and does not provide resistance to muscles used in martial arts movements.
The prior art discloses exercise devices using elastic bands to increase resistance, but none is designed to enable a user to target muscles specific to martial arts. The known devices are not suited to martial arts because the placement of the elastic bands, and associated resistance and motion vectors, is not conducive to proper martial arts technique. In particular, none provides resistance or guidance to muscles used for proper punching and blocking technique wherein the elastic cords are guided across the back of the user. Further, none provide resistance or guidance to muscles used for proper kicking wherein the elastic cords are guided along the knee of the user.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an exercise device with appropriate anchors and components to specifically condition muscles used in the martial arts. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide an exercise device that provides guidance and resistance to punching and blocking movements of the arms and torso through the use of loops in the back of the harness to guide elastic cables that are passed through loops. It is a further object of this invention to provide an exercise device that provides guidance and resistance to kicking movements through the use of a knee band and properly placed guide loops at the waist and ankle. It is also and object of this invention to provide a method of using the disclosed device to properly train muscles for martial arts punches, blocks, and kicks. The foregoing objects are achieved by this invention as described in detail below and shown in the accompanying drawings.